Thoughts

We have officially reached the halfway point! Below is a list of snags, progress made and general thoughts thus far. As for the main menu highlight, Jon nailed a Thai Curry dish on day 14. If you’re looking for something cozy with a kick, skip the life update and scrolll on down!

Irritability– Jon’s felt pretty neutral the entire time, but my irritability definitely peaked around day four. After five or six I started to mellow back out. Headaches subsided and haven’t returned since.

Energy– I’ve felt great but the jury is still out for Jon. While I’m operating off 9 – 5pm Monday through Friday, his schedule can be a little more erratic because of free lancing… Hopefully by the end of it we’ll have a consensus.

Body Stuff – 1. Period was lighter but it was also longer. I think last Whole 30 I was so overjoyed by how breezy it was (no cramps, no drama) that I didn’t notice it was about 3 or 4 days longer than usual. 2. I’m starting to think nuts, broccoli and my stomach may never get along. I’m such a fan of both of these items but every day I’m paying for it with misc inflammation. 3. When my stomach is not inflamed I’m slowly regaining miniature abs— wahoo! 4. Jon’s heartburn is down considerably since we started Whole 30– big win for him! 5. Joint pain in Jon’s knees has also drastically declined— another huge win!

Weight Loss– While I doubt I’m losing much weight (if any), Jon is literally shrinking before my eyes. I hadn’t noticed until we had been a part for a few days but when he returned from Key West this week I was pretty surprised to see such a change! Both of our main goal was to take some time out and focus on health but for Jon this has been a great added bonus!

T H A I C U R R Y

Ingredients

2 Cans coconut milk

1 3/4 Cup chicken stock

1 Tablespoon coconut amino

2 Teaspoons lemongrass paste

3 Table spoon of coconut oil

1/2 pound of peeled and tailed shrimp

1/2 Onion (Jon used red)

2 Teaspoons minced garlic

2 Teaspoons ginger paste

4 Ounces red curry paste

1 Broccoli head

1 Red pepper

1 Bag of cauliflower rice

1 Teaspoon basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional accouterments: lime wedges, green onions, and cilantro

Process

In a large bowl, dump coconut milk, 1 ¼ cup chicken stock, coconut amino, and lemongrass paste. Stir until there are no lumps and then set this aside.

Place a large pot on the stove with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and set this on high. Add peeled and tailed shrimp, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the shrimp from the pot and set this aside.

In the now empty pot, add another tablespoon of coconut oil, onion, minced garlic, and ginger paste. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and clear. Stir in red curry paste and let this cook for 2 minutes. Grab your coconut milk mixture from earlier and add this into the pot. Turn the heat down to medium.

Chop the broccoli into florets and steam in the microwave so that it is tender. After cutting the raw red pepper into strips, add the pepper and broccoli in the pot. Let all of this cook for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. In the last 5 minutes of the soup’s cook time, add back in your shrimp.

While this is simmering, cook 1 bag of cauliflower rice in a skillet or shallow pot. (I used 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of basil, and a little salt and pepper for a little flavor. Turn the heat up relatively high so the liquid cooks down before the rice becomes mush)

Scoop 1/2 – 3/4 cup of cauliflower rice and place it at the bottom of your soup bowl and ladle your Thai Curry on top. Squeeze a lime wedge, and top with green onions, and cilantro for extra flavor!

The best part about this meal is that it isn’t like Thai Curry, it legitimately is Thai Curry. With the exception of using jasmine rice as the base, or fish sauce as the salty agent– the dish is inherently Whole 30 friendly!